This is trade deadline day in the NHL. It’s a combination of the board game Monopoly, the old TV show Beat the Clock and speculating on the stock market. Inside the hockey world, it’s almost a national holiday. And unlike the playoffs, when just 16 teams compete, every team — all 32 of them — has been playing in this sandbox.
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Except, it’s far more serious for some people than playing in the sandbox. For fans and media, it is a bit of a game — even a competition. But for the teams, the management, the players, this is serious stuff.
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So when Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley were held out of Thursday night’s victory against Tampa, the ripple effect through the Winnipeg Jets’ room was real. The emotions were palpable. In spite of keeping playoff hopes alive, there was the realization that things were going to change a bit in Winnipeg — and quickly.
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And I believe it’s even tougher in a place like Winnipeg. We are reminded constantly that the culture that been created within this team is “family.” Now, some of the family has to leave.
So Stanley and Schenn are on the way to Buffalo.
For Stanley, if he wanted to stay in Winnipeg, it’s fair to say he was the victim of his own success. As an unrestricted free agent, he had to think he was entitled to a big pay raise. Obviously, that wasn’t going to happen here. Now, to play for a team that is a real contender in the Eastern Conference, he adds to the Sabres’ depth on the blue line — as does Luke Schenn, whose leadership and grit would help any team, on and off the ice. In fact, Schenn goes to the Sabres with the expectation that he will do for that team what he was supposed to do for the Jets in the playoffs.
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So what’s next for the Jets? After playing one of their most complete games of the season, against a quality team, the playoff flame still burns, even if it is just an ember. The return from Buffalo of right-winger Isak Rosen and defenceman Jacob Bryson — along with a pair of draft picks — is probably not going to help this team right now.
So it’s this group, and a core that still knows how to win, who will finish this season. It’s also a vote of confidence for Elias Salomonsson and Ville Heinola, who have played well enough to make Schenn and Stanley expendable.
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